My trip to Synod 2016 was the first time I heard articulated a "need for clarity" when talking about the inclusion of LGBT Christians in the church. The recent "Nashville Statement" by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood purports to provide that “clarity.” The authors claim to speak with grace and love, but their words ring hollow as they promote conversion therapy, complimentarianism, and patriarchy. Going further, they even state that Christians who do not agree with their position are not true Christians.
That is hate and fear. It is profoundly damaging to our Christian witness, and theologically wrong in it's elevation of human sexuality to an issue of salvation.
It did not appear to me that any CRC affiliated persons were among the initial signatories, and I was encouraged by that. However, I sadly have no doubt many in our denomination look favorably upon the Nashville Statement. I pray that the eventual report delivered by the Committee to Articulate a Foundation-Laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality would have a different tone. I hope their report welcomes and affirms God’s love for those who have been marginalized rather than capitulating to fear.